1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to the field of image analysis and more specifically to image enhancement and restoration.
2. Description of Related Art
Soil density is a critical factor when designing or building structures, or excavating for construction. If a structure stands on soil with a low or extremely variable density, it can collapse, sink, deform or otherwise become unsafe. Architects and engineers must either redesign a structure to fit a particular soil density or alter the soil density to ensure stable structural footing. Either scenario requires first testing the soil to determine density.
Nuclear density gauges (NDG) are the fastest density testing systems, requiring less than 5 minutes to conduct an individual test. An NDG uses nuclear sources to determine bulk soil density and water mass within the soil. These radioactive sources present a health risk to users and a danger if stolen for illegal purposes, requiring constant monitoring of users' radiation exposure levels and storage under high security. Transport of an NDG requires significant paperwork and can be difficult in both the US and around the world.
Volume replacement systems require the user to excavate a hole and fill it with calibrated materials. The technique is laborious and time intensive, and limited in the hole size useable. Users must transport calibrated materials to the site. To obtain an accurate volume, the calibrated materials must fill all the gaps in the hole, which may prove difficult for coarser soils. Adding the calibrated materials to the hole may enlarge the hole, making any resulting data inaccurate.
Electronic devices require pre-calibration to the soil of interest before returning a useable soil density to the operator. Device calibration requires use of a secondary density device such as a volume replacement system or NDG, or laboratory work requiring several days of testing the soil of interest. Calibration increases expense, labor and time, limiting the usefulness of these devices to continuous testing on a single soil.
There is an unmet need in the art for an accurate, easily used soil density measurement system that does not require extensive calibration, or significant health, safety, or security measures.